Civil & Commercial Mediation in Southern California
Resolve the Dispute. Get Back to What Matters.
Civil & Commercial Mediation in Los Angeles
A business or workplace dispute can take over your day—and follow you home. The uncertainty, expense, and strain can make it difficult to focus on anything else.
At SoCal Mediation Center, we help individuals and businesses throughout Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Southern California explore practical resolutions without unnecessary courtroom conflict.
You do not have to agree about what happened to start discussing what comes next.
When the Conflict Starts Costing
More Than Money
A More Practical Way to Work Toward Resolution
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Perhaps a business partner has stopped sharing information. A customer will not pay, an agreement has fallen apart, or a workplace experience has left you worried about your livelihood.
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You may need answers, accountability, financial stability, or simply a way to move forward. A prolonged lawsuit can add depositions, hearings, public filings, and growing legal expenses to an already stressful situation.
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Mediation provides a structured opportunity to discuss those concerns with a neutral professional. The focus is on evaluating workable solutions—not forcing anyone to concede or accept an unwanted settlement.
A More Practical Way to Work
Toward Resolution
More control
You evaluate the proposals and decide whether to settle; the mediator does not impose a ruling.
Potential savings
A resolution may reduce further legal costs, delay, and disruption. Results and savings are not guaranteed.
Flexible solutions
Explore payment arrangements, business transitions, workplace changes, or other terms suited to the dispute.
Privacy for negotiations
California mediation confidentiality has limits. Existing evidence, court filings, and some settlement documents may still be disclosed.
Civil & Commercial Mediation Services
Business, Employment & Civil Mediation rarely fit neatly into one category.
01. COMMERCIAL
Commercial Disputes
When a commercial relationship breaks down, daily operations do not stop. Orders still need to be filled, employees need direction, and cash flow may already be under pressure.
We help businesses and their counterparties address disputes with customers, suppliers, distributors, and service providers. The conversation can cover both the financial disagreement and what needs to happen operationally.
- Unpaid invoices, disputed charges, and payment arrangements
- Delivery problems, service complaints, and unfinished work
- Disrupted supply, distribution, and customer relationships
- Business purchase disputes and disagreements over transition obligations
A settlement might preserve a valuable relationship through revised terms—or establish an orderly exit when continuing together no longer makes sense. The goal is a resolution people can actually carry out, not another ambiguous promise.
02. OWNERSHIP DISPUTES
Partnership & Shareholder Disputes
A disagreement between owners can put the entire business on hold. When the other owner is also a friend or relative, the personal history can make practical decisions even harder.
Mediation helps partners, shareholders, and LLC members discuss their competing concerns without losing sight of the business they have built.
Common Issues
- Management deadlock, voting rights, and access to business records
- Disputed profits, distributions, compensation, and capital contributions
- Claims of self-dealing, diverted opportunities, or misuse of company funds
- Ownership valuation, buyouts, departures, and proposed dissolution
Participants may explore new operating rules, independent valuations, a structured buyout, or an agreed wind-down. Counsel and financial advisers can address authority, tax consequences, financing, and required approvals before terms are finalized.
03. Fraud
Fraud & Business Torts
Believing that someone misled you—or being accused of dishonest conduct—can make ordinary negotiation feel impossible. The dispute may threaten an investment, a customer relationship, or years of work.
Business torts are claims involving business-related wrongdoing beyond a simple disagreement over contract performance. Mediation offers a structured setting to examine the disputed conduct and discuss possible resolutions without asking the mediator to decide liability.
Common Issues
- Alleged misrepresentations, concealment, or misleading business information
- Interference with contracts or business relationships
- Disputed diversion of customers, opportunities, funds, or assets
- Claims involving unfair competition or misuse of confidential information
Discussions may address repayment, disputed losses, return of property, or agreed changes in conduct. Participants can assess the evidence and legal risks with counsel; a settlement does not have to resolve every disagreement about the past.
04. CONTRACT DISPUTES
Contract Disputes
An agreement is supposed to create certainty. When the parties disagree about what it requires, even a straightforward transaction can become a costly standoff.
Contract mediation focuses on the agreement, what each side believes happened, and the practical options available now.
Common Issues
- Disputed contract terms, scope of work, or payment obligations
- Alleged breaches, missed deadlines, or incomplete performance
- Termination rights, cancellation charges, refunds, and deposits
- Proposed amendments, completion plans, and settlement payment schedules
Depending on the circumstances, the parties may negotiate continued performance, replacement services, revised pricing, or a clean exit. Clear terms can identify who must do what, by when, and what happens if an obligation is not met.
Ask counsel to review any mediation clause and applicable deadlines. Requesting a session is not a substitute for preserving your rights.
05. TERMINATION
Wrongful Termination
Losing a job can create immediate worries about income, benefits, and your professional future. For an employer, a termination dispute can bring uncertainty about the decision, the records, and the impact on the workplace.
Mediation allows the parties to discuss the disputed reasons for the separation and evaluate settlement options with appropriate legal advice.
Common Issues
- Claims that a termination involved discrimination or retaliation
- Disputes over employment promises, contracts, or stated reasons for discharge
- Competing views of performance records and workplace events
- Proposed compensation, benefit-related terms, and agreed reference language
Not every contested termination is unlawful; the facts and applicable law matter. The mediator remains neutral while helping the participants explore whether an informed agreement can resolve the dispute.
Any proposed release or separation agreement should be reviewed for legal restrictions and applicable review periods before signing.
06. HARASSMENT DISPUTES
Sexual Harassment
A sexual harassment dispute deserves a serious, respectful process. Concerns about being heard, facing the other participant, or revisiting painful events should be discussed before mediation begins.
Where mediation is appropriate, separate conversations and clear ground rules can help participants evaluate their options without requiring a face-to-face confrontation.
Common Issues
- Claims involving unwanted advances, comments, messages, or conduct
- Disputed workplace responses, investigations, and reporting practices
- Allegations of retaliation after a complaint
- Proposed compensation, training, policy changes, and workplace safeguards
The goal is not to minimize anyone’s experience or pressure them to settle. Independent counsel can help participants understand their rights and the consequences of proposed terms.
Privacy in mediation is not a promise to conceal unlawful conduct. California law restricts confidentiality provisions concerning specified harassment and discrimination claims.
07. DISCRIMINATION
Workplace Discrimination
Feeling that you were treated differently at work can affect your confidence, financial security, and sense of belonging. Responding to a discrimination claim also requires employers to examine difficult questions about decisions and workplace practices.
Mediation provides a focused setting to discuss the alleged treatment, the supporting information, and potential ways to resolve the dispute.
Common Issues
- Claims involving race, sex, age, disability, religion, or other protected characteristics
- Disputed hiring, promotion, pay, discipline, or termination decisions
- Disagreements about disability accommodations or protected leave
- Proposed compensation, policy changes, training, or workplace adjustments
The process does not require the participants to share the same interpretation of every event. It creates an opportunity to assess the facts and negotiate terms without the mediator taking sides.
Counsel can evaluate applicable California and federal protections, filing requirements, and the scope of any proposed release. Settlement terms must respect legal limits on restricting disclosures about unlawful workplace conduct.
08. RETALIATION DISPUTES
Retaliation & Whistleblower
Speaking up about suspected wrongdoing should not leave you feeling that your future is on the line. Retaliation disputes can involve job loss, reduced hours, changed duties, or other alleged consequences after a report or complaint.
We help participants discuss the sequence of events, disputed explanations, and possible resolutions in a neutral setting.
Common Issues
- Claims following reports of suspected legal violations or unsafe practices
- Alleged retaliation for raising wage, harassment, or discrimination concerns
- Disputes involving participation in an investigation or refusal to act unlawfully
- Proposed compensation, workplace protections, and lawful separation terms
Independent legal advice is especially important when reporting rights, government inquiries, or ongoing employment are involved. A private settlement must respect protected reporting rights and cannot be used to obstruct a lawful investigation.
Do not delay an urgent report, protective action, or filing deadline while waiting for mediation. The Center facilitates civil settlement discussions; it does not conduct an agency investigation.
09. WAGE CLAIMS
Wage & Hour / PAGA
A pay dispute can mean immediate financial pressure for an employee and significant uncertainty for a business. When many workers are involved, the records, calculations, and legal requirements need careful attention.
Common Issues
- Unpaid wages, overtime, off-the-clock work, and disputed commissions
- Meal and rest breaks, expense reimbursements, and wage statements
- Employee classification and disputes over claimed exemptions
- Individual wage claims, class claims, and PAGA civil-penalty claims
California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) allows qualifying employees to pursue civil penalties on the state’s behalf. Those claims are distinct from an individual demand for unpaid wages.
Mediation can help counsel evaluate payroll data, disputed calculations, proposed allocations, corrective measures, and settlement terms. A proposed settlement of a PAGA lawsuit must be submitted to the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) when submitted to the court and requires court approval; mediation does not replace those steps.
Class settlements have their own approval requirements. Do not assume a negotiated PAGA settlement or its terms can remain confidential.
10. COMPLEX CIVIL CASES
Complex Civil Litigation
When a case involves multiple parties, extensive records, competing experts, or insurance issues, settlement can feel out of reach. Complexity calls for preparation—not simply another round of demands.
Common Issues
- Multi-party disputes, related claims, and cross-claims
- Competing damages analyses and expert opinions
- Insurance participation and allocation of settlement contributions
- Partial or global resolutions, releases, and implementation conditions
We work with participants and counsel to identify the issues that matter most, the information still needed, and the people with settlement authority. Negotiations can focus on resolving the entire case or narrowing particular disputes.
For referring attorneys: Discuss preparation, necessary decision-makers, insurer participation, and approval requirements before reserving a session. Counsel retain responsibility for client advice, deadlines, and settlement documentation.
Our Civil & Commercial Mediation Process
Step 01
Start With a Confidential Consultation
Tell us what the dispute involves and who is participating. We discuss suitability, conflict checks, fees, scheduling, and any safety or participation concerns before arranging a session.
Step 02
Prepare the People and the Information
Identify the key issues, useful records, and necessary decision-makers. Depending on the case, preparation may include contracts, financial records, employment documents, expert input, and insurer participation.
Step 03
Work Through the Disputed Issues
The mediator guides focused discussions, using joint or separate conversations as appropriate. Participants can explore proposals, compare alternatives, and consult their own advisers before deciding whether to agree.
Step 04
Put the Resolution Into Clear Written Terms
A settlement should address payments, responsibilities, releases, deadlines, and any conditions or approvals. Counsel may need to prepare final documents and arrange required filings or court review.
Questions You May Be Asking
Can we mediate before or after a lawsuit is filed?
Yes. Mediation can address a developing dispute or an existing case. Keep court, agency, and contractual deadlines on your calendar; ask counsel whether a valid extension applies.
What happens if we do not reach an agreement?
The mediator does not impose a decision. You can continue pursuing available legal options, and the discussions may help identify narrower issues for further negotiation.
Do I need my own attorney, and what will mediation cost?
The mediator does not represent either side. Independent advice is important, particularly for employment releases, ownership transfers, and group claims; fees and preparation requirements should be confirmed before engagement.
Local Understanding. Careful Preparation. Practical Solutions.
Steve Lopez, Esq.
Steve Lopez is a fully bilingual Spanish-speaking California attorney and mediator with over 23 years of trial experience and more than 9 years dedicated to mediation. His work includes civil, family, probate, real estate, and commercial disputes, using evaluative and facilitative techniques to support clear, informed negotiation.
California licensed attorney
Business, Employment & Civil Mediation
Downey office and video options
English and Spanish
Start today
The Dispute Does Not Have to Control Your Next Chapter
You may need to resolve a broken agreement, protect a business you helped build, or address a difficult workplace experience. You do not need every answer before taking the first step.
Start with a conversation about whether mediation is appropriate for your situation. SoCal Mediation Center offers a structured opportunity to work toward clarity, practical terms, and a way forward.